Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Rating

Director

Nicholas Meyer

Screenplay

Leonard Nimoy, Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal, Nicholas Meyer, Denny Martin Flinn

Length

1h 50m

Starring

William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, Kim Cattrall, Mark Lenard, Grace Lee Whitney, Brock Peters, Leon Russom, Kurtwood Smith, Christopher Plummer, Rosana DeSoto, David Warner

MPAA Rating

PG

Review

With new contributors and a refocus on the crew of the USS Enterprise as a whole rather than just the core three, can Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country recover from the colossal failure that was its predecessor?

Virtually forgetting the events of the prior film, the narrative seems to progress forward enough that Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) is now a starship captain and the crew of the Enterprise are sent to escort a Klingon diplomat to a conference where the Klingon Empire will seek an enduring peace with the Federation. Because of Capt. Kirk’s (William Shatner) history with the Klingons, he doesn’t support the efforts and that tension plays into a plot by a mysterious malefactor to assassinate the Klingon representative and pin the event on the Federation.

Christopher Plummer lends his estimable talents to the film as the anti-Federation chief of staff for the Klingon ambassador Gorkon (David Warner) who together make a formidable acting team that returns the series to the strong supporting performances that characterized its best efforts. The rest of the crew is strong as well with more attention being paid to Takei and Nichelle Nichols as Uhura. While the core three, Kirk, Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), and Spock (Leonard Nimoy), get plenty of time at center stage, no one’s importance to the film is overinflated as it was in the prior.

It’s often a big issue when multiple screenwriters are listed for a project and with five, it is a concerning development. Harve Bennett is gone and director Nicholas Meyer and Nimoy are back along with Mark Rosenthal, Lawrence Konner, and Denny Martin Flinn. They managed to avoid the missteps of too many cooks and turn out the best screenplay since the second film though overall it’s on par in terms of overall quality with the second.

While there seems to be an awful lot of conflict in the Star Trek universe, much of that is in opposition to the Federation’s stated goals of strength from unity and peace for all members. They prove time and time again that the human race is capable of anything if it puts its mind to it. Just look at the technological advances of the last 70 years. All made possible through human ingenuity. It’s why the idea of a United Federation of Planets is so appealing, especially in our modern, hyper-partisan environment where one faction wants the opposition dead and the other wants peace, equality, and prosperity for all. It’s why a franchise like Star Trek is so important to keep fresh in the minds of the public, highlighting just what it all means.

Back to the opening question. Does this film make up for the dismal prior? Absolutely. It’s a return to what made the series and the films great. Contemplative storylines, solid performances, and plenty of what makes sci-fi wonderful. Not only was it a major step up from what had come before it, it would prove a fitting final chapter for the original series characters to go out on. The closing credits with the signatures felt extremely special and it’s terrific that almost all of them got to go out on a high note.

Review Written

July 9, 2024